Smashwords book reviews by Aurora Press

Paradox - The Angels Are Here (Book 1)
on May 12, 2011
Having read Paradox - The Angels Are Here, I feel I've been left with a different world view on angels, heaven and spirituality. There is no easy way to sum up the plot, so I shall just say that the story focuses on two elements: one being the war between the different angel houses and how they interact with humans. Some are good, others are evil, and so they fight each other in their quests to become the stronger house. The second part focuses on Grace, a little girl who's gone through a lot in life, and whose life is about to be turned upside down.
While the angels' part focuses on world building and description and setting a solid background for the next books in the series, Grace's part emphasises her emotions based on a deep loss, her relationship with her family and the actions that rise into a dramatic crescendo, inevitably leading to an ending that will leave you wanting to read the book all over again because you just couldn't see it coming.
There's no doubt Patti Roberts is someone who knows how to build strong characters and a vivid setting. I liked the darker side of some of the angels. It was a unique and convincing way to view spirituality and the angels' role within humanity. I also liked how they were connected to Grace and Grace's role within the larger picture. I do agree with others who said some questions were left unanswered, but I feel that was necessary in order to be able to explore those in detail in books to follow.
All in all, this was a great first book in the series with interesting characters that invite further exploration. It was a touching read that I would recommend to all fantasy readers, and I eagerly await the next book in the series.

Evolution of Insanity
on May 26, 2011
Evolution of Insanity is a book consisting of a great number of short stories, which, on a first look, don't seem to have much in common. Some are darker than others, some are funny and some are sad, like my favourite one, the protagonist who commits suicide because they cannot live up to their own expectations and would rather sink into their own despair than allow themselves to be as they are. As the reader progresses through the book, they'll start to realise the stories are all interlinked, giving the impression of moving from one book character to the next, from one life experience to another.
This is a book that hasn't been done before, a remarkable book with surprising depth, beautiful writing, and certainly no dumbed down language to allow it to fit into a genre. When it comes to the language, I'd call it literary; the voice, however, is sharp and educated with plenty of humorous layers to it. The stories are connected in their depth and ability to link reality with fiction, dreams and mysticism with satire and belief, lifestyle and choice with art, and many, many more.
It is a philosophical read, and while I'm into all that is philosophical, I often find philosophical books bordering on the boring side. Evolution of Insanity kept me reading from one tale to the other, wondering what would come next. I particularly liked the observational nature of the tales and how they brought to light all that is dark, hidden and twisted in human nature, giving insight into the various facets of humanity in a unique way. I was astounded at the immense creativity and diversity of this book, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a bit of dark fiction with plenty of humour and excellent writing.

Velvet Ball and The Broken fairy
on June 18, 2011
Velvet Ball is not your normal little girl; she's the new kid in town, lonely and...bald. After battling a disease that made all her hair fall out, she struggles to be liked at her new school, but instead of giving her a chance, the other children are just nasty and bully her. One day after yet another awful day at school, she takes a shortcut through the woods and finds a doll hanging from a tree branch. It turns out the speaking doll is a fairy named Roseberry, and a bad-mannered one at that. Velvet takes Roseberry home to help her find out why she has no magic powers, but caring for the little sprite turns out to be harder than it seems, what with the local bully trying to steal her and Velvet's mother coming in at all the wrong times.
Velvet Ball is a fantastic story with plenty of mischief and humour along the way. The writing is engaging with some challenging words for kids, but not too many that they would lose interest. The plot has many twists and turns that I was completely absorbed and couldn't put it down. Finally a book with beautiful writing that's able to teach valuable values in an entertaining way. A must-read.

Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot
on June 18, 2011
As part of a school assignment, Molly's supposed to take a picture of a wildlife animal. Luckily for her, on the way back from the river Molly saves an injured rat-like animal from the claws of the neighbour's cat. Her father explains that the rat isn't a rat but a bandicoot and that she can't keep him because they need to grow in the wilderness where they can scavenge for food and build a family. Molly isn't convinced because the little critter sure looks like he would like someone to take care of him, so she vows to persuade her parents to let her keep the animal. How she does that is cute and funny since, the more Molly tries the more she messes up, until the only option she sees is to kidnap the little animal from her grandma who's a wildlife rescue officer.
Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot is a middle grade adventure for boys and girls aged 8 to 12 with lots of good twists. The language is kept age appropriate with a few difficult words to keep kids entertained and maybe provide a bit of a challenge. Molly's character is absolutely endearing. She is a funny, little girl with a bit of an attitude and a mind of her own. She simply adores animals and that's usually a good thing, but people around her just don't want to see it.
The humour was great, the plot kept me wondering what would happen next. A thoroughly enjoyable read for the young and young-at-heart.

Star-Crossed Rascals
on June 18, 2011
When Polly's parents leave to spend the week with an ill relative, Polly's stuck with mean Auntie. Auntie's not a nice person at all; she's bitter, angry and likes to hand out plenty of chores. And worst of all, she's the most awful cook in the world. The only thing Polly looks forward to is spending her free time with her best friend, Gertie. After a misfortunate accident in the kitchen, Auntie grounds Polly, but Polly's a confident little thing and won't accept not meeting her friend, so she sneaks out, after which the girls go through one adventure after another. Star Crossed Rascals is a magical story that captures the voice of a young girl so well I thought I was actually seeing little Polly in front of my eyes. I was left sad and wanting for more after finishing the novel. The girls' mischief is beyond hilarious and unfortunate events kept me wanting to turn the page. I highly recommend it for both kids and adults, and will read more of this very talented writer.

The River Runes
on July 16, 2011
Jonathan is an aspiring magician in the city of Caithii and everything seems to be running according to plan for him. Until he meets Bixby who's a fairy. Bixby has done something to enrage Mother, which has set events into motion that might just mean the end of Bixby, but Jonathan is determined to protect his friend. Together with his Master, Jonathan is prepared to do what no magician would ever dare.
Jonathan is an interesting character coming from a good background. He's earnest, hard-working and loyal to his friends. Bixby is someone who doesn't quite fit into Jonathan's life and plans. I liked the contrast in characters there.
The River Runes was a great read for both children and adults. It was a colourful read set in a fantasy world that seemed believable and well developed. I enjoyed the paranormal aspects of the magicians and how they protect the city and its mortal inhabitants. Young readers will enjoy Jonathan's development from a teen into something much bigger carrying a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. The importance of friendship is emphasised throughout the book, which makes The River Runes an excellent gift for kids and teens, not least to help them build self-esteem and teach them friendship and responsibility along the way.
The language was age appropriate with good description that made it easy for me to understand how Caithiir is built.
All in all, an interesting read for the young and the young at heart, which I enjoyed very much. Would definitely recommend to parents and their kids as well as anyone who's interested in magic and fantasy.

Burly and Grum and the Secret City
on Aug. 18, 2011
Absolutely beautiful story about the importance of friendship and sticking together. When Max is captures by some mean hunters, his best friends Burly and Max don't doubt for a minute that they'll save him. Together they embark on a breathtaking and at times hilarious adventure to save both Max and their beloved secret city.
I found this book not only inspiring but also cute and extremely well written. The author has a magical way with words that made the story come to life. The characters weren't just characters in my head; I could picture them before my eyes, I laughed with them and experienced their tension and joy. I absolutely adored this story and can't believe it's free. A great read not just for kids but also for the young at heart. Thoroughly recommended!

Rascals Sing at The Opera House
on Nov. 05, 2011
Polly loves singing in the choir. Too bad she's not the best singer. In fact, she's so bad she constantly keeps singing out of tune, which is why her mean teacher has decided to kick her out of the choir before Polly gets to sing at the Opera House. Fortunately for Polly, her best friend, Gertie, is the best singer in school, and Gertie has decided she won't sing either if Polly's not allowed to come along. Now that's what friends are for. And so Polly get sot sing in the choir after all…but only after agreeing to mime. Polly isn’t exactly thrilled, but she gets to be inside the Opera House and that’s bound to count for something. To make matters worse, her mean aunt is staying over for a week and that’s really bad news because Auntie can’t cook. In fact, her concoctions are troublesome for anyone with a healthy stomach, and she’s also not keen on Polly becoming famous. As trouble is mounting up for Polly, she’s thrown into one misadventure after another with a hilarious climax.
This book was a fantastic read with one laugh after another. The writing was suitable for kids, but challenging enough to allow them to learn something along the way. I loved Polly. She’s the perfect endearing little girl who just can’t seem able to stay out of trouble. Would thoroughly recommend to both kids and adults who love to laugh.

Rascals Sing at The Opera House
on Nov. 05, 2011
Polly loves singing in the choir. Too bad she's not the best singer. In fact, she's so bad she constantly keeps singing out of tune, which is why her mean teacher has decided to kick her out of the choir before Polly gets to sing at the Opera House. Fortunately for Polly, her best friend, Gertie, is the best singer in school, and Gertie has decided she won't sing either if Polly's not allowed to come along. Now that's what friends are for. And so Polly get sot sing in the choir after all…but only after agreeing to mime. Polly isn’t exactly thrilled, but she gets to be inside the Opera House and that’s bound to count for something. To make matters worse, her mean aunt is staying over for a week and that’s really bad news because Auntie can’t cook. In fact, her concoctions are troublesome for anyone with a healthy stomach, and she’s also not keen on Polly becoming famous. As trouble is mounting up for Polly, she’s thrown into one misadventure after another with a hilarious climax.
This book was a fantastic read with one laugh after another. The writing was suitable for kids, but challenging enough to allow them to learn something along the way. I loved Polly. She’s the perfect endearing little girl who just can’t seem able to stay out of trouble. Would thoroughly recommend to both kids and adults who love to laugh.

Warriors of the Cross (Warrior, #1)
on Dec. 01, 2011
I thought Warrior of the Cross was a fantastic read with a great story and a believable voice. Allison wasn't the usual whiney character we often meet in YA and paranormal literature nowadays. She had fears like everyone else, but she also had a strength in her that allowed her to be there for her dying brother and her emotionally suffering sister going through the motions of a divorce. I liked Allison's empathy for others, but also the fact that she wasn't oblivious to danger. This made her seem real and clever to me.
The twist involving Allison's true heritage was interesting. There were plenty of clues throughout the story, but I didn't see its magnitude until the very end.
All in all, a great read.

I Believe.
on Dec. 16, 2011
I'm one of those people who kinda believe when we die, something must stay behind, be it the soul, a higher conscious, or a residue of our inner self so, naturally, I picked this up, not least because it was free. I Believe was such an amazing, eye opening read, comprised of several accounts of people and their experiences with something 'out of this world.' It was interesting to the point that I couldn't put it down. The writing was sharp and to the point, leaving you eager to read on to find out what the next person had to share. Very good and inspiring novella that I'd thoroughly recommend.

Paradox - Progeny Of Innocence
on Dec. 16, 2011
I absolutely adored the first book of the Paradox series, The Angels Are Here, and naturally had to pick up the second one as soon as soon as it was available in the Amazon UK store. Progeny of Innocence was an even more amazing, wicked read than The Angels Are Here.
The novel begins with a brief account of the background story and is narrated by Juliette. Juliette is an old soul reborn in the body of a young girl, Grace. In the first book, Grace was just a girl, now she’s a 16-year-old teenager who’s plagued by visions she doesn’t understand even though she desperately tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together in order to find out who Juliette really was and what exactly happened to her world. Grace never really got over her father’s death, so when she meets the new boy in town, Damon, he takes on a very important role in her life as her love interest and the one that makes her loss more bearable, along with Wade. But soon things start to get strange and it’s obvious there’s a killer on the loose, though it’s doubtable that he’s human. I could feel the spark between Grace and Damon, though I’m not yet sure whether he’s good or bad.
I liked Grace in the first book, but in this one she was even more likeable and had me rooting for her when the fallen angels (called Grigorians) came closer to finding her. I thought she came across as honest and responsible, just the way someone with her importance in the fate of heaven and earth should be. I liked that she’s become an adult now and that she understands the importance of what’s going on around her.
One of my favorite characters was Keyla, who is a secondary character and the bearer of magic of the ancient race, Bakhna Rakhna. There was some sort of mystery surrounding her and I can’t wait to find out what her story and role is in the ancient battle between the angel houses.
All in all, this was such an amazing, well-written read I thoroughly enjoyed and can only recommend. I’m astounded by the writer’s imagination, the rich writing and beautiful prose as well as the intrinsic plot. If you’re hesitating, get the sample first. I’m pretty sure you won’t be able to put it down.

Guardians of the Cross (Warrior, #2)
on Jan. 23, 2012
I picked Guardians of the Cross after enjoying Warriors of the Cross. That one was an incredible read, fast-paced, packed with action and mysterious characters. I didn’t think the second book could get any better, but it did.
Twenty-four-year-old Allison stands in the middle of a war between good and evil. As the only person in the world bestowed with the ability to heal those wounded, she is much sought after, but also faces a great peril. Whenever she heals someone, she is bonded to the person and sees visions of events yet to come. In her quest to protect the people she saves and the ones she loves, she must face the one person who almost killed her: Devin slash his twin brother Darryl. Only, Allison’s meant to protect Devin after saving him from a horrible fate in his mother’s womb. And now she’s at a crossroads. How can she save the ones she loves when she’s meant to protect the enemy, who would do anything to hurt her?
I thought this book was fantastic and couldn’t put it down. The author has introduced a plethora of new elements that kept me glued to my screen. I loved the twists and turns and the spine-chilling thriller parts I didn’t see coming. The ending left me eagerly awaiting the third installment. All in all, this is a must-read, well-written book that I’d recommend to young adult and adult readers.